Riviera Nayarit, Mexico - On Tuesday, October 4, 2016, the National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (Conanp, by its acronym in Spanish) presented credentials to the tourism guides who received accreditation on the new best practices and visitation regulations surrounding the Islas Marietas National Park.

Of the 173 concessionaires who are registered with the Conanp from San Pancho, Nayarit, to Yelapa, Jalisco, there were 726 guides who signed up for the workshops. Now, they alone have permission to take tourists to Playa del Amor, which re-opened August 31 under strict regulations after being closed last May in an attempt to preserve the area's natural beauty and biodiversity.

The formal act took place at the Fideicomiso de Bahía de Banderas in Nuevo Vallarta before special guests from the Nayarit and Jalisco state authorities. Among them were the federal delegates from Jalisco and Nayarit's Environmental Division of the Federal Attorney's Office (PROFEPA), Xóchitl Yin Hernández and Omár Cánovas, respectively.

Nayarit Subsecretary of Tourism, Juana Duarte, and the north coast regional director of the Jalisco Ministry of Tourism, Ludwig Estrada, were present, in representation of both states' Secretariats of Tourism.

The 16 workshops took place between July 24 and September 20, 2016 at the Instituto Tecnológico de Bahía de Banderas. The credentials are only valid through 2018 to ensure that the guides stay informed and updated.

A second phase is being planned to establish the parameters for a training course for guides specializing in the Islas Marietas that will not only take into consideration the official rules and regulations but also the ideas and concerns brought up by the tourism service providers.